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There’s no satisfaction for Krista McCarville and her Northern Ontario rink.

The 34-year-old skip is hoping — and confident — that feeling will come on Sunday night in the final of the 2017 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

McCarville certainly was not looking past the Page playoff 3-4 game, which comes on Saturday afternoon at the Meridian Centre against Team Canada, skipped by Chelsea Carey.

The women know each other quite well: In the 2016 Scotties final in Grande Prairie, Alta., Carey’s Alberta rink beat McCarville 7-6. In the round-robin this week, McCarville emerged with an 8-4 victory against Carey on Thursday.

“I think we are more prepared for it this year,” McCarville said of earning a playoff spot.

“Last year was our first year together, and it was kind of like: ‘Yay, we’re in the playoffs’, almost like an excitement that we weren’t believing.
“We knew we were good enough to get there, but this year we know we are a good-enough team to win this whole thing.”

Also in Draw 17, Carey and the Canada rink beat Alberta 7-4, enabling Carey to come out of the round robin at 9-2.

The winner of the 3-4 game will head to the semifinal against Ontario on Saturday night with a ticket to the final on the line; the loser will play for bronze.
McCarville and Carey were in agreement: Neither team will have surprises to reveal.

“I don’t think there are any secrets at the top level,” Carey, 32, said. “All the teams in the playoffs play against each other all the time. It’s a matter of who plays better (on Saturday) under pressure.”

Said McCarville: “It’s going to be about trying to be the best as you can — picking up on reading the ice the best and draw weight. Making sure we have draw weight is the most important thing.”

As the third-place team, Carey will have the hammer in the first end.

“It’s nice to go in with the hammer, it’s nice to get our choice of rocks, so we feel really good,” Carey said.

McCarville jokingly said she would need “a couple of glasses of wine” to help her get to sleep on Friday night.

Carey, meanwhile, had planned on doing nothing but sleeping for much of the rest of Friday.

“I was here until midnight (Thursday) with doping control and I was really tired,” Carey said. “I have a bad head cold and all that kind of stuff so it was a battle (to beat Alberta). The girls were very supportive and we were able to pull it off.

“It’s nice to have a little bit of time and get rested.”

KLEIBRINK UNSURE

Does Shannon Kleibrink figure she will make another appearance at the Scotties?

The Alberta skip, who has been coping with a slipped disc in her back, returned to the ice in the final draw of the round-robin on Friday and threw eight rocks in the loss against Canada.

“I thought you had (seen the last of her) before, so I’m not sure, you never know,” the 48-year-old Kleibrink said. “We have a bye back to provincials, and anything can happen once you get there, so maybe (she will be back).

“I would have liked to have played more, but the girls battled hard and had some tough losses.”

Her message: Never say never. “That’s right,” Kleibrink said. “I have been rejuvenated this year.”

Alberta, with alternate Heather Nedohin taking over as skip for much of the week, finished with a record of 5-6.

Kleibrink said she will need about a month to allow her back to recover properly.

Kleibrink, the winner of the bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, participated in the Scotties for the fifth time and first since 2011.

Her best finish in the tournament came in 2008, when she took silver after losing 6-4 to Jennifer Jones’ Manitoba rink.

LAST ROCKS

Carey on the improved ice conditions: “It was a bit of a gong show with the frost (Thursday) but (Friday) it was beautiful. I imagine it will be the same (on Saturday).” … Will Amber Holland, at the tournament as the alternate for Saskatchewan, try to get a team together for the Olympic trials later this year? “I’m thinking about it,” said Holland, who has participated in the Olympic trials four times, including twice as skip. “I haven’t really decided 100%, but it has crossed my mind. I’m still not sure.” … Manitoba third Kate Cameron, participating in the Scotties for the first time, has learned plenty from skip Michelle Englot, who is competing in her ninth women’s nationals. “You bet,” Cameron said. “Her approach in general — she is patient, she is calm. If I miss a shot, there is no anger. I don’t feel like I have ever done us wrong, even when I am missing. I’m more of a fiery player than she is. She can really guide the team to stay calm in those high-pressure situations.”